Just Say Yes
by CarvorEdlund
Summary: We all know the heroic tale of Sam and Dean Winchester saving the world. But what would it have been like if they had said yes to being vessels from the beginning?
1. Chapter 1

Sam rolled over in bed, trying to get some sleep. If this whole new life thing was going to work, he had to be able to function decently in the morning. But he couldn't stop thinking. Lucifer was free and Dean was somewhere doing who knows what. Both of these things, he realized, were his fault. Especially the Lucifer thing. That was probably the worse of the two as far as the rest of the world was concerned. He sighed and pulled the tattered motel blanket over his face as he drifted off to sleep.

"Sam. _Sam,_ " He had heard his name being whispered for a few minutes now. He groggily pulled himself into consciousness as he sat up on the bed. He glanced to his left and his weariness suddenly melted away. There was Jess. She hadn't left him in the night like he had assumed she would. He leaned over and kissed her lovingly on the neck. She stirred and turned to face him.

"So. This is your life now? Think you can just live forever with your head buried in the sand?" Jess said. She was quiet and said these words in an almost kind way. Sam knew she was right, but what could he really do? He couldn't say yes to Lucifer. That was just crazy. And he didn't know where Dean was nor did he expect Dean to answer his phone. Sensing his distress, Jess reached her hand up and caressed Sam's face. Sam said the only thing he could.

"I love you, Jess," Sam sat up, followed by Jess who did the same. He looked intently at her, "God knows how much I miss you, too. But you're wrong. People can change. There is reason for hope." He desperately hoped she would accept his answer. Of course it was unlikely. The Jess he knew stuck with her decision once she had made up her mind.

"No, Sam. There isn't," Of course. She had him half convinced to hunt down Dean and convince him that they needed to end it. But there was still the part of him that thought the world, with all of it's faults and wonders, deserved to survive. Jess placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam stared glumly forward, hoping Jess wouldn't have an answer to that.

"Because you freed me," For a moment, Sam mulled over that unexpected response before his brain registered that it had been a different voice speaking. He turned and came face to face with none other than Lucifer. Sam held back a gasp and jumped off the bed before backing slowly away from the devil. He tried to muster up some sort of negative response, but all he could feel was relief that it hadn't been Jess saying those things to him.

"That's right. You know who I am," Suddenly, Sam's mind was full of blind anger and fear. So that's where all of his sensible emotions had gone to.

"Lucifer, " he breathed. He would be surprised if the devil didn't guess all of his thoughts just from that word, the way he didn't even bother to hide his emotions.

"You are a hard one to find, Sam. Harder than most humans. I don't suppose you'd tell me where you are?" Lucifer swung his legs over the side of the bed facing Sam. He took a couple of deep breaths until he was satisfied that he was calm enough.

"What do you want with me?" Sam demanded. Lucifer looked almost offended.

"Thanks to you, I walk the earth. I want to give you a gift. I want to give you everything," Lucifer smiled and tilted his head, gaging Sam's reaction. Sam sensed he was doing this and kept his face as still as stone. Lucifer raised one eyebrow, waiting for him to do something.

"I don't want anything from you," Sam said finally.

"I'm so sorry, Sam, I, I really am, but Nick here is just an improvisation. Plan B. He can barely contain me without spontaneously combusting," Lucifer didn't seem at all deterred by Sam's immediate refusal. Sam didn't understand why Lucifer's vessel wasn't working for him. Didn't he just need consent? Clearly he got that, if he was able to possess the man. Eventually, Sam stopped trying to figure it out and gave into the question Lucifer obviously wanted him to ask.

"What are you talking about?" Lucifer smiled as he stood and took a step closer to Sam. The way he walked showed his confidence and Sam couldn't help be shaken up, even by this small thing.

"Why do you think you were in that chapel? You're the one, Sam. You're my vessel. My true vessel," Lucifer was barely a foot away from Sam, and he still hadn't stopped that infuriatingly terrifying grin. Sam took one small step backward and felt his back hit the wall.

"No," he whispered. Lucifer stepped even closer before coming to a stop. Sam could have reached out and touched him should he have chosen to.

"Yes," Lucifer demanded. Sam could see he expected to leave here with a threat, a promise, or who knew what kind of devilish remark. Sam closed his eyes for a moment, hoping against hope that when he opened them, Lucifer would be gone. But of course, that wasn't the case.

"No. That'll never happen," Sam tried to keep his voice steady, but jeez. Even for him that was weak. Lucifer didn't jeer at his obvious weakness as Sam had expected.

"I'm sorry, but it will. I will find you. And when I do, you will let me in. I'm sure of it," the words alone would have sounded like a threat, but the tone of voice Lucifer had used was simply calm, quietly confident, and maybe even had a bit of actual sympathy. Sam couldn't see any sort of future for him and Dean, or heck the rest of the world, if they went on running forever. In fact, that would never work. Someone at some point would have to catch up to them.

"I just- Then just, I..." Sam stopped his stuttering. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him and Sam looked pointedly away from him. Lucifer grabbed his chin and stepped close to him. It was like he was looked deep into Sam's soul and judged him. On second thought, he probably did.

"Great Plains Motel. Room 206," Sam blurted. He thought he would immediately regret giving away his location so easily, but to his surprise, he didn't. Lucifer dropped his chin and stepped away as his eyes widened with shock.

"Well, well. People don't often surprise me," Lucifer continued to gaze at Sam, wondering why he'd suddenly let slip the information that he'd been withholding since the moment Sam was out of his sight. Again he was surprised, as Sam continued to gaze straight back at him. He was apparently done showing signs of weakness.

"You wanted to know where I am. You got it," Sam's expression gave away nothing of what he was thinking. Lucifer wondered about that for a moment before he spontaneously broke into a huge grin and clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Okay, Sammy," Lucifer gave Sam a friendly punch on the shoulder, "Hang tight, then. See you in a minute." Lucifer couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he slowly faded away before Sam's eyes. As soon as he was gone, Sam sighed and sat down on the bed. He gazed blankly at the wall. Before he could have counted to ten, he heard loud sounds of wings flapping. Sam jumped to his feet and turned to face Lucifer. His look of excitement was replaced by one of longing, being so close to what he had wanted- no, needed for such a long time.

"You know what to say, Sam," Lucifer stared at him expectantly. The silence stretched for a moment. For the third time in their encounter, Lucifer raised an eyebrow at Sam. Sam opened his mouth and Lucifer visibly relaxed.

"Not yet," Sam said. Lucifer unfolded his wings and glared at Sam. His eyes glowed red and the anger on his face was evident.

"Relax," Sam continued, "I didn't say no. I said not yet. I want to talk to my brother first." Lucifer slowly folded his wings back into whatever plane they were in before.

"Why do you need to talk to your brother?" Lucifer demanded suspiciously. It didn't surprise Sam that he would be wary. Him and Dean weren't exactly the type to go along with the plans of random celestial beings. Lucifer probably thought they had something they were going to use against him. Sam honestly didn't blame him.

"I want to convince him to say yes also. And I want to say goodbye," Sam choked up at the last part and it was the near tears more than anything else that convinced Lucifer that Sam wasn't lying. His face softened a bit. He could understand Sam wanting to say goodbye to his brother and sometimes wished he could have done the same with Michael.

"Well that's easy at least. We've been trailing him since you two split up," he paused at the surprised expression on Sam's face, "What? We couldn't give Michael the advantage of getting at his vessel first." Sam shrugged. Lucifer smiled in slight exasperation and grabbed onto Sam's arm. For a moment there was the sensation of weightlessness and the sound of flapping feathers. Then it was over as quickly as it had started. They were standing outside of a shabby looking diner. Sam could have almost laughed at how typical this was for Dean. As Sam peered harder at the diner, he spotted Dean and Cas at a window seat. Lucifer walked into the diner and beckoned for Sam to follow. Unthinkingly, he did. They walked through rows of happily talking and eating people until they approached the booth Cas and Dean were at.

Cas was the first to notice Lucifer. With a panicked expression on his face Cas raised a hand to get him and Dean out of there. But, at that moment his noticed that Sam was also there and warily brought his hand back by his side. Cas nudged Dean and gestured at Sam and Lucifer. It was all Dean could do not to jump out of the booth and cause a scene. As Lucifer reached the booth, he happily shoved Cas against the window and sat beside him in the booth. Sam stayed standing as he did his best to look anywhere but at his brother.

"How did you find us? And why is he here looking so happy?" Dean demanded. Sam glanced at Dean once and seeing his furious expression looked away again. Suddenly realization dawned on Dean's face.

"That's right. I'm wearing Sam to the prom," Lucifer couldn't resist bragging. Dean's face went from merely suspicious to horrified.

"No, Sammy. You didn't say yes yet, did you? It's not too late," Dean was practically begging, anger forgotten.

"No, not _yet._ " Cas looked from Lucifer to Sam to Dean.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sam. If Lucifer has his vessel before Michael does, who knows what would happen?" Cas tried to reason with Sam. Lucifer just looked mildly amused as he messed up his younger brother's hair.

"That's why Dean needs to say yes too. So we can end this early," Sam saw the retort form on Dean's lips and spoke again before he would have to hear it, "Just think on it, Dean. I'm saying yes today, whatever you choose to do." Sam saw the pain and helplessness on Dean's face and he had to turn away again.

"I- I won't let you," Dean stuttered. Lucifer rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Really. You can't stop us, can you? No. So just accept it already," Lucifer growled angrily.

"Not until it's done," Dean shot back stubbornly. Lucifer instantly brightened up.

"That's easy, then," Lucifer grabbed Sam's arm for the second time.

"Goodbye," called Sam. Lucifer flew them to the outside of a church. Now it was Sam's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"What? I like the irony," He defended semi-annoyed.

"Are we going inside?" Sam asked, nervous now that it was so close to time.

"Sure," Lucifer walked confidently towards the door. Sam followed behind more slowly. He walked straight up to the altar and stood behind it, interrupting people in their prayers. Sam followed and stood uncertainly in front of Lucifer. By now, everyone's attention was on them. Sam shifted uncomfortably. Lucifer smiled evilly and turned to his audience, baring his wings, or the shadow of them anyway, for all to see. His eyes glowed red, but his face showed anything but anger. Sam was strangely more comfortable with this the second time around.

"Sam. It's time," Lucifer whispered. Sam wiggled his fingers and toes while looking around at the people on the benches, taking advantage of his muscles one last time. He fought back a laugh as he realized most people were crying or suppressing screams. What was wrong with him? Since when was that funny? Enough of this. Sam turned and stared determinedly at Lucifer.

"Yes."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean leaped out of the booth and stood glaring around at the other diners. Most hadn't noticed him and merely continued eating their meals. Dean took one glance at Cas, who was staring glumly at Dean's now forgotten burger, and stormed towards the middle of the diner.

"I'll kill you! Give me back my brother or I swear I'll fu-" Dean broke off as he felt Cas' hand resting on his shoulder. For a moment, this calmed him down. He gazed blearily around at the slack jawed crowd. He broke into insane sounding laughter as he noticed a fry fall out of a kid's mouth.

"Dean," Cas gently pulled him towards the exit before the diner's manager could even start to kick them out. Dean knew he had most of his weight on Cas and he felt a bit bad, but there was nothing he cold think to do except let himself be led to his baby. He came mostly to his senses as he watched Cas climb into the driver's seat.

"No, no, no. I can still drive my baby," Dean pleaded. He wasn't much of a begger, but if nothing else ever stayed constant, he would still drive his Impala. Cas reluctantly slid across to the passenger seat. Satisfied, Dean clambered in after him. Suddenly the full weight of what had just happened came crashing down on him. It was all he could do to keep a semi-straight face. He couldn't let Cas know how lost he felt knowing what Sam had gone off to do. Keeping emotions buried was the Winchester way.

"We will need to find some place away from civilization," Cas stated solemnly. Dean was about to nod along before he realized exactly what had just come out of his, no _the_ , angels mouth. His face started turning red. He tried to calm himself, thinking he might have been jumping to conclusions. He took a deep breath and turned to face Cas.

"What?" Wow. Dean was eloquent as ever. Cas turned around and looked him dead in the eye. Dean couldn't help but notice the way his blue eyes sparkled sadly.

"Dean, I'm sorry. You had to know this was coming. Sam has just said yes. The waves of Grace have been practically radiating out of Chicago," Cas said softly, leanly slightly away from the inevitable explosion. But it never came. Dean simply started tapping his foot in agitation.

"So, what now? We go somewhere alone. How will he know where we are?" Dean looked down, focusing on his tapping foot. He could feel Cas' gaze on him, but he refused to look up. He didn't want to see the pained expression on Cas' face.

"Then, you pray," Cas whispered. Dean finally turned his eyes upward and met Cas' gaze. Brown eyes met brilliant blue and Dean's breath caught in his throat. Before he knew what was happening, Cas leaned in closer. Dean's heart beat wildly in his chest. Abruptly, he whipped around to face the front and stepped on the gas, hard. The car lurched forward, surprising Cas. Castiel turned to face the front as well, choosing to pretend nothing had happened. Dean was more than happy to go along with it.

"Where shall we go?" Cas asked in a strained voice. Dean was sorry that he had been the cause of Cas' pain, but they had bigger problems at present.

"Wherever the road takes us," he muttered. Cas nodded, unsurprised. He knew he could just as easily fly them anywhere, but Dean would probably prefer to drive.

After about a half hour of turning down random back roads in attempt to get as far from society as possible, the road suddenly ended. They were directly in front of an empty field, so Dean supposed this was as good a place as any. He looked at Cas and they both stepped out of the car. Dean walked towards the center of the field and sat down, Cas right beside him. Dean turned to look at Cas. This time he didn't shy away from the brilliant sparkle of his eyes or the stirring in his gut that it caused. Cas reached out and gently touched the back of Dean's hand. Dean reached up to softly caress his face.

"You know this can't happen. Michael will be here soon," Dean whispered.

"So call him. Then we'll have until he arrives," Cas choked out. Dean reluctantly pulled away in order to focus on his prayer.

"Michael, get your feathery ass down here. Not sure if you need my location or something, but according to my phone the coordinates are -," Dean finished. Then, he turned his head back to Cas. Knowing they didn't have long he grabbed Cas and pulled him to his chest. they sat there in the grass for what seemed like centuries. Too soon, they caught the noise of feathered wings beating as Michael and three other angels arrived.

"Touching," Michael said sarcastically, "but we have some business to attend to." Dean grabbed Cas' hand. Cas squeezed comfortingly, giving Dean the courage to look straight into Michael's eyes as he said the word.

"Yes."

~^~.~^~.~^~.~^~

At first all Sam saw was light. Light everywhere, in immeasurable quantities. He didn't know how he wasn't being blinded. He could vaguely sense the screams of the bystanders who had been watching. He turned to face the source of the light and was met with wings, pure and beautiful, extending from Lucifer's body. His eyes glowed a bright red and his Grace seemed to spill out of the now empty vessel. The vessel crumpled to the floor. Lucifer's true form was now advancing toward him. For the first time Sam felt a pang of fear. But it was soon replaced by pure longing and he stretched his arms out to the archangel before him. Lucifer reached towards him as well and their arms met halfway. Sam could feel them merging into one being. His soul intertwined itself with Lucifer's Grace. Surprisingly enough, the archangel didn't try to push him away, instead pressing his Grace further against Sam's soul.

The longer Sam spent inside his body in this way, the more he was able to navigate with ease. He could squirm up towards his eyes to watch Lucifer's interactions with others, if he so chose. From this position, he also had access to his ears, where he could also hear the outside world. He stayed away from his brain, full of memories he didn't want to dwell on. He spent most of his time, though, nestled up next to Lucifer's Grace. They would whisper to each other, when Sam was feeling bored and the archangel wasn't busy. These times were Sam's favorite, the only time when he had real contact with another living thing.

One day, Sam decided to take a trip upstairs and watch out his eyes for a while. He had noticed that Lucifer's Grace seemed preoccupied and he intended to find out why. He peered out and what he saw thoroughly surprised him, although it probably shouldn't have. Outside his cozy new life, things still kept on as usual. What Sam saw was Dean. Dean had angels surrounding him, but they vanished as soon as he waved them away. That was the moment Sam knew. That wasn't Dean, not really.

"Well, hello brother," he felt himself say.

 **Notes: Sorry not sorry for the Destiel. I couldn't help it. Anyway, please leave reviews. I'm always looking for ways to improve. I'll update again as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was clinging for dear life to the inside of his own body. Michael's Grace was most definitely in control and it was all he could do to keep his soul from being burnt out. He knew if he let it happen he would be allowed into heaven, but he was still holding on to the dim hope that Michael would eventually leave. If he was being logical, he would have let himself be burnt out by now. Michael had his hands on his true vessel and Dean didn't think he would be willing to let go of that so soon. He also didn't want to have to witness Michael killing Sam. Even if it was really Lucifer in there, Dean knew it would just feel like he was killing his own brother. For Dean had no doubt in his mind that Michael would win, and this pained him more than anything. But, despite these perfectly good reasons for wanting to be gone, Dean found himself clinging to his body with all his might.

In a way that Dean would never admit, being one with Michael made him feel complete in an odd sort of way. He found his soul longing to be near the angel's Grace. He would cautiously make his way towards the light that was in the center of Dean's body. He would tentatively reach out to touch it, searching out that feeling. But every time without fail, this would result in fierce burning that made him retreat from the angel. Sometimes the Grace would lash out, pushing him back still further. It was at these times that he thought of Castiel. Castiel gave him all the more reason to stay. He was left alone in the world and all Dean wanted was to go be with him.

The more time he spent with Michael, the more he just felt altogether wrong. When Michael had first entered Dean, all he felt was pure bliss. But that faded slowly, with time. Now, Dean had the overwhelming feeling that he had the wrong angel's Grace inside of him. This was a mistake. God, the master strategist, had probably thought they were compatible. But he was wrong. There was only one angel Dean could think of who he wanted to be with in this way. Michael knew how Dean felt, so he frantically redoubled his efforts to make Dean's soul leave.

One day, Dean was cozily lodged in a cluster of nerves he had recently found, big enough to hide him for short periods of time so he could watch from behind his eyes. He was just about to delve into one of his memories when he heard the voice. The very familiar voice.

"You asked for me, brother?" It was Castiel standing right in front of him. Kind of talking to him. Well, Michael anyway, but close enough.

"Yes, Castiel. I heard you rejoined heaven. You've made the right decision," Dean would never get used to the feeling of having someone else manipulate his mouth, "But you care about my vessel's soul, Dean, yes?" Castiel nodded uncertainly, not sure where Michael was going with this.

"Just please tell me, is he in heaven?" Cas was seemingly unable to hold his tongue any longer.

"No, and that's the problem. He floats around like he still owns the vessel. He won't leave! You know him, don't you? You know what I can do to make him leave!" Michael's Grace again began moving, hunting him.

"His soul is right there, you could listen to it-" Castiel began.

"I have listened to it. All it does is pine for _you,_ " he felt himself shout. If souls could blush or look embarrassed, than that was what he was doing at the moment. Cas opened his mouth and closed it a few times, looking shocked to say the least. He opened his wings and looked up nervously. Dean's breath would have caught if he'd had control over it. They were pure black and huge. Although, they would probably be seen as moderately sized and modest by another angel, Dean was completely in awe of them. Even having seen glances of Michael's huge magnificent wings hadn't affected him the way Cas' did. Without any more hesitation, Cas leaped upward, presumably to fly away somewhere. But Dean, really Michael, was there in an instant, gripping the base of Castiel's wings and pinning him to the ground. Castiel stared at him wearily, his blue eyes dull. Seeing him like that gave Dean all the strength his soul needed. He rammed through Michael's barriers, feeling his soul properly fill his body once more, temporarily taking control of the Grace.

"C- Cas?" Dean was in control of himself again, for the first time in what seemed like forever. He rolled off of Cas and looked deep into his eyes for the one second they had left.

"Dean?" Cas' voice sounded dull and dreary, but Dean could detect real hope in it now. Dean pulled Cas up and then clung to him, just standing there, not letting go.

"Yeah," he whispered, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. He never sensed the Grace creeping up behind him until it was too late. Suddenly his very soul was consumed with flames and all he could think of was making it stop. He could hear Michael's whispering in his head, telling him how to make it stop. Dean really tried to last as long as he could, but the pain was all-consuming, he couldn't think straight. Blindly, he dragged himself away from his body, felt himself separating. Then the pain ended. He stayed still, hovering over the scene, not quite sure what to do.

"Thank you, Castiel. That soul was being a real nuisance," Dean watched Michael say. Michael looked away from Castiel and straight at Dean. He was instantly full of panic as he tried to force himself toward heaven. He could sense it, not too far above this little pocket where they now stood. But he was met with a barrier which he immediately recognized as Michael's making. He sensed rather than saw Michael's small triumphant smile. He had been hunting him for probably months, and now he was finally gone. Castiel was standing, staring at Michael. Dean guessed he would take orders from him now, but only because the apocalypse now seemed inevitable. Dean wouldn't blame him either, they had little choice at this point.

"Now, my little brother. Would you please escort this soul to Hell?" Castiel's eyes widened in shock. Dean froze, waiting for Cas' response. He couldn't go there, not again. Michael was standing still, ready to force Castiel if needed, but not really expecting it to come to that. Dean watched the very human emotions cross Cas' face. First grief, then terror, then finally sticking on determination. Michael seemed to be faintly amused by this.

"Yes," whispered Cas, looking away from Dean. Michael raised his eyebrows. He knew he would eventually get his way, but he had been expecting more fight from his younger brother. But hey, that was one more good soldier if Castiel was willing to take orders so easily, and who was he to say no to that? As amusing as this was, he still needed to make sure Castiel showed him respect, just like the others.

"Yes, what?" Michael inquired, looking for all the world like a teacher whose student had decided to call him by his first name. Cas looked unhappy, but also unsurprised.

"Yes, _sir_ ," Cas was clearly doing his best to make it look like this wasn't being forced. With that, Dean redoubled his efforts of trying to break through the barrier, useless though he knew it was.

"I will let you know that after you do this you will be fully accepted in heaven, having proved your loyalty," Michael was looking at Cas still, not angrily, but sad at what his brother had become. For a fleeting moment, Dean felt sorry for him. That feeling dissipated almost immediately when he remembered what the archangel had sentenced him to.

"Thank you," Castiel said quietly, turning his gaze upwards, towards heaven. Michael nodded and gestured towards Dean.

"Now go," Michael disappeared in a flurry of wings, evidently trusting Cas to do what was needed to return to his home. But the barrier was still there and Dean couldn't get through it. He shouldn't be surprised that Cas was listening to Michael. He had started on that side in the first place and Dean could understand him longing for heaven. Slowly, Dean let himself sink downwards until he was at Cas' head level. If Cas was choosing this, there wasn't anything he could do about it and he wasn't about to give him a hard time. Cas' arms reached out and wrapped around the soul in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Cas whispered. Dean tried to show him that it was alright, he understood, through whatever motions his soul was able to make. He was planning on enjoying his last time with Cas and keeping it as a memory to hold onto in Hell. But then Cas continued, "but I won't pass up the chance to finally be at home and accepted. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give you up either."

With that, Cas brought his soul impossibly closer until Dean could actually feel his Grace. The Grace wrapped itself around him, pulling him in to share Cas' vessel. This was the feeling he never shared with Michael. Pressed against the warmth of Cas' Grace, and above all, finally feeling as though he had found his other half. He could feel and see that Cas was feeling the same. Cas was open with his Grace, letting Dean share in everything as he did his best to return the favor. He felt Cas focus on the memory of his conversation with Michael, but it was different now. Cas was trying to bluff Michael into thinking Dean was in Hell without actually putting him there. This came with the added bonus of Cas getting his brothers back. Castiel's best guess was that only God would be able to detect Dean unless Cas should choose to reveal him or Dean revealed himself.

 _Wow, Cas I... Thank you._

 _Of course. I could never have taken you to Hell._

 _Compromise, eh?_

 _Well, yes?_

 _Seriously, though, Cas. You could have brought me to Hell and you wouldn't be putting yourself in danger so much._

 _Do not worry, Dean. We will not be discovered. Now, I must go tell Michael you are in Hell._

 _Yeah. I assume he won't be going down there to check._

Cas let out a small laugh at that before flapping them into the air.


End file.
